Siwan: Passengers at Siwan Junction are facing severe difficulties as summer holidays and the wedding season have led to an unusual rise in train bookings. The station is seeing a huge increase in passenger traffic, especially on trains heading towards major cities such as Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. Families planning vacations, visiting relatives or travelling for weddings are crowding the station, making it difficult to find confirmed tickets. Even after trying for several days, many passengers are still unable to get a seat.
The rush has affected almost all long-distance trains passing through Siwan. Popular trains such as Vaishali Superfast Express, Amrapali Express, Bihar Sampark Kranti Express and Avadh Assam Express are running with full occupancy. Coaches from sleeper to AC classes are already booked, while waiting lists continue to rise. In some trains, waiting numbers have crossed 150, showing how serious the travel demand has become during this period.
Passengers say the biggest problem is booking Tatkal tickets. Every morning, as soon as the booking system opens, tickets are sold out within a few minutes. Many people queue at reservation counters or try online booking, but still return disappointed. Some travellers have also complained that getting Tatkal tickets has become increasingly difficult and have raised concerns about unfair practices in the system. For those needing urgent travel, the situation has become frustrating.
Railway authorities expect this pressure to continue until mid-July. With school summer vacations beginning and several wedding dates still ahead, demand is likely to remain high through May, June and July. Many passengers are now asking Indian Railways to add extra coaches and run special trains to manage the crowd. Until then, thousands of travellers from Siwan may continue struggling for seats during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.
